Now You're Drowning
by asiirensong
Summary: Ariel is a mermaid, vicious creatures of the seas, feasting off wondering pirates and sailors like the rest of her kind but she does not wish to be like this, she wished to explore the world as a human. Ariel aids a certain pirate in stealing a rare item and maybe even the pirate captain's heart along the way.
1. Prologue

Prologue

The mermaid's eyes slowly fluttered open, her pupils dilated and retracted as they took in the light of the small cove of which her and her seven kin slept. The light seeped in from the large hole in the mounted rock, the rays of the sun shot like golden strings from the surface.

The cove was empty, leaving Ariel alone and basking in the light. She arched her back up and her arms tipped over her head resting on the soft sand bed ground, she stretched as she arched her body and her red curls fell almost perfectly over her bare breasts, leaving only the skin between the two peaks of pleasure to be bare.

Her blue eyes sparkled as she flicked her fin once with a powerful thrust leaving her to hover in the water in the centre of the room.

The peak of the sun was almost in the centre of the sky and by this time her sisters and rest of the female of her siren kind were out and about beneath the waves, searching for lost pirate and general ships that could hover above Atlantica by nightfall, giving them time for an attack.

The youngest of the royals had missed out on the search today but that was alright, she hardly ever participated in the search. The hunt was more of her skilled area.

Though she was the youngest her voice was unmistakably the most recognizable and luring of all her kind, one lyrical note from her voice was enough to snap the attention of a thousand sailors in the sea and have them all focus on her. A blessing? No. A curse as far as the little mermaid saw it.

Ariel may be a siren but her beliefs were different to those others of her kind, the humans that lived above the waves were not only a source of food for her but their way of life fascinated the young mermaid despite what the sirens said.

Vile creatures, murderous savages, they would gladly make means of your tail for supper; they were all the warnings that left her kind, and having being raised by such things she could not help but he cautious and somewhat distant towards them though her distance had never morphed into hatred. Not like it had for her sisters, her father, her kingdom who would gladly take a human's life to protect their own.

The males would be busy, preparing for a feast tonight as they did every word of ships near the kingdom.

The mermaids were the superior of the race while the mermen were pushed lower in the rank of power given their voices were about as attractive as a rotten crab, while the voices of the sirens brought home the cold bodies of sailors for them to dine on.

The only superior man of them all was the king, Ariel's father. In charge had been the queen of course but a careless hunt and a spear through the heart had ended that rein dreadfully and leaving her husband to rule the seas.

The siren was quick to get tired of staring at the rock of her cove sleeping chambers, though she was one to get tired of things quite easily.

The hole in the ceiling was just the right size to fit her slim frame through and up out of the palace, the view of Atlantica taking her by surprise every time. Not by its beauty though... by its vulgarity. She hated this kingdom, she hated the peaked palace and she hated the people inside it. Well, as far as hate could go for siblings.

It was a lie; she loved her siblings and her father more than anything... almost everything. She loved them a lot but not as much as the love she had found for the one thing she was forbidden to seek unaccompanied. The surface.

The ocean was deadly still from the lack of mystifyingly beautiful voices that haunted these parts of the seas; the women were gone so there was no need for sound, and no need to keep an eye out for escaping princesses such as herself.

She swam as far as her green fin would carry her which was all the way out past the boarders of the kingdom, her hair pooled around her shoulders and down past her breasts like blood being dripped and rippled away in the liquid that was the dreaded ocean. Once far out enough she finally broke the face of water, her red curls flew back as she shot out of the water; her hair flew from in her face and flipped through the air sending droplets of salty diamonds falling back down after several minutes.

Ariel couldn't have cared less about anything in the world once she breathed in the crisp air but the reality was she should have been a little more cautious as to how dramatic her escape was.

_X_

Yards away a rather rugged pirate, none other than Killian Jones stood atop the railing of his fine vessel, he needed not the rope in his hand hanging from the mast to support his weight but just in case, he wouldn't want to look like a fool falling head first into the drip. In his unsupported hand rested a small golden telescope and the captain peered through the glass, a smirk plastered on his lips as he gazed out into the ocean.

He was surprised when a flash of red caught his eyes as he trailed his gaze upon the surface and he searched desperately to find the red that had now took his interest. It was a girl; young, couldn't be more than sixteen or seventeen but for such a young girl lay such beauty in a shell. The girl was naked which sparked an interest further than arousal.

What was such a stunning lass doing in the middle of the ocean, naked and out in the open. There was only one kind so flamboyant about their beauty and his suspicion had been proved right just as he thought it; the beautiful lass had arched back letting a long, shining fin appear out of the water. Our lass was a siren.

The confirmation caused the captain's smirk to grow to an intrigued grin, he looked over his shoulder and called out to his crew.

"Steady as she goes. looks like we have found our songstress lads!" He called in a darkly cheerful chuckle.


	2. Chapter I

Chapter I

Now out in the open seas Ariel felt instantly more at ease than she had to the feeling of suffocation she had suffered in the kingdom. But sadly the feeling was still there, swirling in her lungs. A feeling so powerful she could just scream, or she wished a simple scream could get rid of it but it was there permanently. She knew the cure for it.

The only way she would be free of the oceans grip was to rid herself of her tail, though she loved her tail, it was elegant and long and her green scales were such to be envious of. Well at least the other sirens did of it; she couldn't really be fussed with what her limb looked like.

The fins of that of the siren kind were equivalent to legs in more ways that the obvious, their main source of movement and that one would not go anywhere without legs or a tail...

The other was a less known factor of the mermaids in that their fins were probably the most attractive thing about the females to the men... which wasn't exactly true in the human world

Human men found it very easy to be attracted to different appendages of the female's body like their breasts or their behind or even much smaller details like the colour of their eyes. And yes for them none of it mattered, the only thing dependant on attraction from the males was their fin.

The colour, the amount of scales or even the length and width of the elegant tails the females presented were all that remotely attracted the men and women.

Ariel didn't get it, she didn't get the strange way of her people but she knew even less about the humans, and yet she already knew that she wanted to be with them, to live with them above the waves and to walk along with two legs than a fin... no matter how beautiful it may appear to be.

_X_

The Jolly Roger had still gone about unnoticed to the redhead who was enjoying her time being free from her royal life in the kingdom; she dived in and out of the water like the dolphins that also shared the seas with the sirens.

All Killian Jones had to do was simply watch as the foolish mermaid swam about like the creature was born to do. What sparked curiosity in him was why she was so far away from the kingdom she no doubtfully belonged to known as Atlantica.

Stupid little fish so far away from home, how fortunate for the captain though as the little siren seemed to have answered his prayers from the deep.

_X_

Ariel had taken cover below the waves again carelessly and swimming thoughtlessly through the sea, only was she ripped away from that when her delicate body was encased in a large material she soon learned to be fishing net.

The young girl thrashed around in the net, the rope soon proving to be too strong for her as it bit and dug into her soft and creamy skin; leaving a criss-crossed impression on her back and chest as she struggled

Her throat had closed to the point where breathing was all most too much for her and screaming was way past the point of impossible for her now. As the net began to rise from the depths she was emerged from the crystal water like a fish well... out of water quite bluntly.

She thrashed about and clung to the knitted rope that contained her, she noticed not what she was about to be dealt to until the fishing net was hoisted over the crowded deck of the Roger, many a pirate had stopped tending to their duties and had risen to watch as they lured in their prize.

Her cold heart beat heavily and loudly in her ears, feeling it pulsate in and jump in every vein. Her bright, ice blue eyes were wide with fear as she rested her gaze over the crew of smirking, grinning and laughing sailors—no... They were _Pirates. _

She could almost feel their eyes on her bare skin and breasts like disgusting smog creeping across her frame. She felt it horridly as it settled on her pale flesh, but as she squeezed her eyes shut she could almost swear she felt one's eyes try and settle on her face, as if searching for her eyes though her body was exposed and open to the rest of the men's eyes.

She shuddered and whimpered still clawing at the cage until her eyes fluttered open again.

There in the lead of the crew, standing away from the net but closer than the others dare to step forward was a rather rugged looking pirate. She had thought the air gone from her lungs but that became apparent not when her blue eyes locked with his of almost the same shade.

A smirk plastered on his lips, a satisfactory smirk as if he had just the sweetest of riches but of course from the captain's point he had indeed.

"Well well..." The smug pirate said taking a few steps closer to the hanging mermaid, that smirk still plain on his face and hiding a secret.

"Such a pretty lil' lass we have here," She paused raking his eyes down her frame and resting on her green, alluring fin before slowly dragging those blue eye back to meet hers again. "Or mer-lass." He said and his crew chuckled.

He not lie though with this statement, from first sight of the mermaid he had though her to be beautiful and that didn't seem to make a difference up close to her.

Her red curls were damp and clung to her creamy looking skin; it was an intense crimson that could catch anyone's eye from a mile away and all he could think was that he couldn't wait to see what those locks looked like when dry and at their full fierce flame.

She did not react to such a statement, she couldn't understand what could be so funny about the plain facts in front of them, and she was indeed half human and certainly wasn't surprised when the pirate pointed it out.

The pirate stepped even closer to the net in which she hung. "What's your name, love?"

He asked it with the same look on his face, smug and of all proud.

She parted her lips to answer but paused looking up at him and closing her mouth again. No. There was no way she was telling this man her name.

There was not a sailor in the sea who knew not her name and with that the name of her seven sisters along with her father. King Triton, son of Poseidon. Knowing the young mermaid's name would mean holding a great amount of power to the captain of this ship...she had no doubt in her mind that the man in front of her was suiting the role as captain.

She stayed silent and instead narrowed her eyes to an icy stare locking with the rugged one's, he didn't seem the least bit surprised and if anything he seemed more amused but her sudden rise of courage to eyes off the captain.

They stared for a good minute before finally the man broke it to tip his head back and chuckle. He made a gesture unseen to Ariel but the sound of rope cutting brought to her attention what would soon follow.

The finned girl fell to the deck with a thud and the crew laughed as she gave out a shriek.

She landed on her shoulder yelped quietly as a sharp pain split up it quite obviously from the impact she took as she plummeted to the hard wood of the vessel's deck.

The pain in her shoulder had distracted her from the heavy weight of the loose net now pressing down on her and with her bummed shoulder all she could do was kick her fin and claw with her uninjured arm at the floor to get away.

Maybe if the mermaid had stayed in one place without a fuss then the crew wouldn't have started to approach her, their heavy footsteps echoing in Ariel's ears clearly though she wasn't looking at them. Her heart hammered in her fast rising and falling chest that with her hair in a curled mess over her shoulders and back; left it bare.

The first touch was a tight grab by a rough hand to her injured arm, the second uncut nails dragging down her fin, she had stopped counting at merely two as soon there were too many hands and feet stomping, grabbing and tugging at her hair limbs and much tender chest to keep up. She felt her throat start to clench up in fear and her eyes shot up to seek those of the captain but he had been pushed back to the back of the rowdy pack of pirates. This was when she knew she must do something, or she'd be violated and murdered.

She sucked in a breath as deep as she could without it being knocked out of her by the force of the men and finally letting out the thing known to most as the second deadliest thing a siren possessed with their voice; a scream.

The scream was loud enough to be heard from miles and still send a shiver down one's spine. The demanding men around her stood stunned for a minute by the blood curdling scream but for the shortest moment before all of them dropped to the floor. Those who were smart enough and saw what was coming were educated enough to cover their ears from the bursting sound and now the only sailors remaining conscious were a group of maybe ten who stood back with the captain who seemed perfectly fine and anything but surprised.

Tears burned in the mermaid's eyes as she kicked and shoved desperately to push the bodies of the unconscious men off her sore and damaged body.

Killian watched the scared half-lass push the bodies of his crew away from her shivering and now bleeding and bruised frame.

Annoyance nipped at him as the majority of his men were out cold and would remain so for a while if not hours. But watching the small lass like that shattered the cloud of anger and it replaced with sympathy.

_Poor darling, _he thought but shooed it away quickly, he heaved a long sigh and walked over to the girl. A second between each step was the quickest he dared to move towards the frightened girl as he could see by the look on her face that she would scream again in necessary, he raised his unhooked hand up intending he meant her no harm and continued when she stayed put.

Ariel's chest rose and fell rapidly, so fast that if a human were as scared as she was they would pass out much like the men around her. She looked at the captain's face as he slowly approached her then allowed her eyes to wander down to his hand raised of his own protection, but why was his other hand hidden beneath his coat. She could only think of the worst and she scampered backwards the best she could until her back pressed against the cold wood of the side of the ship.

Killian followed the lass's gaze down to where her eyes were locked causing her to retreat. He had thought better to keep his silver appendage hidden as scaring the woman further would result in a ship full of sleeping sailors.

He rolled his eyes at her reaction and stopped where he was about a foot away from her. "Now, love, do not fear. T'was merely my consideration to keep my limb hidden..." He said with a soft smirk tugging at his lips. "I think it fair to ask not to release that beast of a voice again while I show you, yes? I'm not going to harm you." His words were sincere and he gazed at her with ice blue eyes, almost seeming trustworthy, _Almost. _

He slowly and carefully removed his well polished hook from the cover of his draping leather coat to hold it up with his insisting hand. "See?"

Ariel's eyes of the same colour to the pirate are locked on the shining hook, and to her own surprise she actually calmed down at the sight of it. It certainly wasn't comforting to think about what damage could be done with the appendage but because of the words that went with the uncovering, he was telling the truth.

Her chest slowed in its rising and falling slightly and she allowed the captain approach her now without taking his sweet time.

Killian crouched in front of the redhead who had finally stopped struggling to escape the Roger, which was near impossible for one with no legs. His eyes loomed over her with fascination, but rest a little too long they did on her exposed chest. Not that anyone could blame the pirate and the rest of his crew for staring as it was not a sight they would protest to see and besides, all of them have had to made do with the mental images of a naked woman before them in their lonely nights, put a real one right before them so suddenly and they are bound to react. Killian had hoped they would have controlled themselves a bit more than they had though; he had to cheer on the mermaid for giving them what they deserved.

She could sense the man's stare hovering over the bare flesh of her front and her arms were quick to fold over it, shielding it from his eyes. To resist temptation he pulled his long leather coat he often wore and draped it over the woman's shivering and bare shoulders. "There you are, lass."

She accepted the coat and held it close to her, looking down at the rough leather before trailing her gaze back to the captain's... of whom she had just realized had still not introduced himself, but then again neither had she. By the looks of things the secrecy wouldn't last long as the pirate had began to tell the siren his name.

"How terribly rude of me, lass, I do apologize for my forgetfulness." He said after a moment's realization. He bowed his head as he stayed crouching and made a gesture with his arms. "_Captain _Killian Jones, though I suspect you could guess my more colourful moniker; Hook. Welcome aboard the Jolly Roger, love." He said with a grin.

Jones tilted his head and gazed down at the redheaded woman before him, she was terribly beautiful and he sincerely hoped that her beauty would not get in the way of his demands of her. He did hope he wouldn't have to take pity on her again.

"Now, love, do we want to try this again?" He made a face and held his hand out to the beauty for her to take it, a kind movement of a sort. "Do you have a name?"

Ariel looking into his eyes for some time before she found her hand rising and gravitating towards his own hand; it was warm but the pirate's hand was rough as it closed around her slim one comfortingly. "Ariel..." She whispered.

"_Ariel,_" He repeated with confirmation. He knew exactly who this lass was now; none other than the youngest daughter of King Triton. Oh this had to be too good to be true...

A wicked grin curved to Killian's lips and he gazed deeply into her eyes, without breaking the stare he called over to his remaining sailors standing behind. "Straighten up mates; it appears we have royalty aboard the Roger!"

There was a gleam the mermaid caught in this _Killian_'s eye, and the gleam was one of darkness and secrecy. It was a hell of a gaze but she sensed there would be a hell of a mission to go with it.


	3. Chapter II

Chapter II

The captain's blue eyes shone with excitement as he stood from his crouching position beside the mer-lass, he shared a brief glance with the beauty before he turned on the heel of his boot and stepped his way back over to what was left of his crew. A smirk was hidden from the siren behind him but with that crew knew the captain already had his plan well developed in mind, curiosity sparked in the men in the form of a grin but not one of them spoke. As Killian walked by he paused by Murphy and lowered his head to send way of a few instructions. Very clear instructions to watch over the girl. Not one of them were to touch her or speak to her in his short time of absence as he retreated to his chambers, a brief nod was shot in the direction of Smee and and that was all the two needed to know their place was with the captain in the next moments. Jones looked back over his shoulder for a mere moment, not one of them had moved yet, save for Smee and Wibbles who were following closely behind him. And with that he entered his chambers, closing the door strongly once the three were inside.

Smee stood by the window, twiddling his thumbs in a nervous wrestle as his gaze wavered to and from the ground to their captain; he was always like this, a nervous train wreck. It caused Hook to wonder why he kept the blithering idiot around half the time... but then it was also clear to him, Smee was so weak and small that he really had no one else to look up to but the captain, as the rest of the crew bullied and beat the poor fellow to a pulp, he looked up to the pirate in charge to keep him safe and close to this thieving side. Smee was possibly the only pirate aboard the entire ship the he could trust, for he was much less of a pirate than a playful child's mind.

Wibbles, however, stood by the captain's carefully crafted desk towards the back of the cabin, his large and muscular arms folded over his broad chest as he too gazed at his captain eager to hear what exactly was swelling in the pirate's scheming mind. Though Wibbles was also loyal to the captain, more so than the rest of the crew save for Smee, trust was something that was wavered between the two pirates and was not likely to be properly built around their relationship. Though he was still one of the two crew members the captain turned to first.

For a long while, Hook just stood by the entrance. Leather clad back pressed against the sleek wood of the sealed door to the room, arms folded over his chest and crystal blue eyes practically brimming over with mischief and a plan. The silence stretched out for so long that it had to be broken by none other than Wibbles as he let out a tired groan and stood straight from his leaning upon the desk. "Well 'aptain, you gonna tell us th' plan or what?" The brute said in a sluggishly thick voice, one that rather got on Killian's nerves at the least yet it was not one of the worst sounding voices among the crew of The Jolly Roger. There were some who's tone were shocking enough to drive the captain with an urge to plunge his hook straight through their jugular, and leave them to clean up the bloody mess themselves.

A grin curved to his lips nevertheless at the question beaming on everyone's mind finally being out in the open. "Well lads I wouldn't have hauled your arses in here if I were to otherwise." He mused as he finally made a move, boots clacking against the wooden boards below them as he approached the two mates awaiting his news. His glaze flickered to Smee first and he allowed himself to lean down to the height of the small fellow, faces looming mere inches apart. "You know what that is, do you not, Smee?" His voice was like velvet from his lips as he spoke with an amusement in his voice that had not been found in their captain for such a very long time, his lips curved up into a grin as wide as a Cheshire cat's as he awaited the answer from his mate.

"A—A ... a mermaid, captain?" The small bearded man hesitantly looked up from the floorboards and into the expecting eyes of his captain, thumbs that repeatedly rotated around the other trembling slightly with fear that he had gotten the simple question wrong, though in his mind he was sure that the creature flopping on the deck was indeed a mermaid, a siren from the deep whom preyed upon the weak flesh of sailors. Yes, she was a mermaid.

"Aye, Smee," Killian purred straightening his back to stand at his full height again, making him seem just that more superior to the small lad beside him. "The lass is indeed a siren. Do you know _who _she is, Smee?" He mused again though his gaze was not pressured upon the sailor this time, it was gazing around his cabin, walls hung with maps and markings and treasure galore. It was indeed a fine room, but one of the many aboard his fine vessel. Smee hesitated again, that same fear sinking into his bones. "T-the daughter of Triton, captain?" With a nod he smiled.  
"Aye, the siren is indeed a princess. Do you know what that means?" With that Wibbles whom was standing beside the desk still let out a frustrated sigh, having already pieced together the captain's plan in his head, he despised the fact that Killian was wasting his precious time picking on a weak sailor for answers he already well knew and it caused him to answer for the lad. "Means that Tri'on will do anythin' to get back his precious daugh'er." He said looking at Killian with confidence in his answer.

Hook's ice blue eyes flickered to Wibbles, they shone with something dangerous and warned the brute silently not to interrupt again... though with that he also understood that he had been dragging out his time longer than he needed to. "Aye," He confirmed and effortlessly walked over to his desk, slipping down into the large wooden chair that resembled something like a throne, red velvet blessing the otherwise hard and sleek wood to make one of the finest chairs. Fit for a captain. "Thanks to the sea king's rebellious little lass we have on hand, we now have an advantage. Soon Triton will educate himself of his daughter's absence and rake the entire seven seas to find her." The captain's lips curved into a satisfied smirk. "There be a lot that a sea king can endure, but the loss of one of his beloved offspring is one thing he will not stand for."

"S-so, what to you propose we do with the fish, captain?" Smee asked in a voice barely audible. "We do nothing with her, Smee. Once the king leans of her whereabouts he will come to us, and bring us what we need." Killian said with a nod and a confident smile.

"Ya mean wot _you _need 'aptain." Wibbles interrupted again which caused another warning look to shoot from the captain's eyes of blue abyss, but still the bald pirate continued to clarify Hook's plans beyond what he was telling the two mates, Smee was so loyal to the pirate n charge that he wouldn't dare question his authority or his plans but Wibbles was much smarter than he looked when it came to following blindly behind a man driven by revenge. He knew what to expect and it was much more than a simple ransom mission. "Wot makes you think that th' sea king wont just make th' Roger another wreck at th' bot'om of th' sea?" The pirate questioned the man in charge with a dark eyebrow raised to prove his doubts with the plan at hand that still hadn't been fully explained to the small Smee who was still twiddling his thumbs in a nervous dance.

"Because he won't take that risk Mr. Wibbles." Killian snapped with a tone as sharp as a razor's edge, the sudden spike in the volume of the captain's voice making the weak pirate in the corner to jump. Killian rolled his eyes at that and let out a sigh, suddenly and forcefully smacking his silver hook down on the carefully crafted wood of his desk, his eyes fluttered closed and the room was enveloped in silence again. Not even Wibbles dared to break the void this time. "He will come for the siren... and he will give me what I want." The captain broke the silence finally and rather demandingly. "A-And what exactly is that, c-captain?" Smee squeaked, again in a voice that was barely audible.

"That damn trident of his."

_X_

The thick leather was heavy on the mermaid's creamy skin, the dampness of her soft complexion causing the material to cling to her skin. The warmth was nice of her shivering form but the close hugging of the leather made her stomach squirm with an uncomfortable feel, she wanted to drop the coat from around her shoulders as she was not used to having been constricted by clothing, she was comfortable being bare and free in all of her body's glory. But she wouldn't dare let go of the leather coat being surrounded by flesh hungry pirates... a different kind of flesh hungry than the kind Ariel was used to. Her back pressed against the cold wood of the starboard railing and her tail was curled beneath her, way out of the reach of any hand that may try to grab the scaly flesh.

After watching the pirate lower to whisper something in one of the pirate's ears she was soon approached by the same stranger, who did nothing but rake his greedy gaze over the siren's form. Even draped with the leather coat of his captain he still found himself seeing past the fabric with the memory of the delicious site he had encountered, and oh was it delightful. But fighting the temptation that lay curled in the corner, Murphy obeyed the good captain's orders and stood little ways away and simply watched, watched both the band of pirates that had scurried off to their regular posts once the captain had vanished into his quarters and also the siren that sat crying to herself.

Ariel's ocean stained eyes burned with tears that never seemed to stop flowing, she wasn't exactly sure why she was crying, maybe it was that she was stupid enough to get herself captured by pirates or maybe it was the shock of almost being violated and murdered by a band of thieving sailors... or maybe it was because she now sat huddled in the corner of the deck with nothing but the limp hide of some foreign animal to comfort her.

The sound of a door opening caused the poor siren to raise her head and seek past her blurry tears to see the form of the captain and two of his men exiting his chambers finally, to this her heart couldn't help but flutter with a ray of hope that they had discussed her release, that hope was far off though. Killian spoke a few final words to the two of his men and sent them off back to their posts; he stood there for a few moments, plan buzzing in his active mind before he turned to face the very being that could very well be the answer to his prayers. A smirk curved to his lips as his eyes took in the form of the weeping sea angel, poor darling; she was so frail... though he had a feeling that there was much more to be discovered beneath the fragile surface of the royal siren.

Slowly and again carefully the pirate made his way over to the sorrowful siren, usually he found crying weak at its best and didn't care to comfort those who did it in his presence, but something about this crimson haired beauty's tears that caused the rim of the empty cavity in his chest ache. His smirked tugged down into a frown now as he watched to tears continue to flow down her curved cheeks. He felt for the first time in a weeping lass's presence that he should do something, or say something to put the lass at ease but that was not what his plan was about, and he sought to it that he snap out of any sympathetic daze he was in.

"Cease your tears, love. Soon you will be safe and sound in your ocean abyss again and you'll not have to worry ever again. Once I have claimed my prize you will be set free." He said rising from his crouching position in front of the mer-lass. He was about to turn and retreat back into his chambers when he was met with the forceful and desperate grasp of the young siren's hand, her fingers latched around the pirate's un hooked wrist so hard that her already pale knuckles turned white with the force. Anger flashed within him as he thought she would know better than attack him and as he turned to face what he could only assume was an angry mermaid his fiery gaze washed out as his icy blue eyes met that gaze of hers. She had somehow held the tears back for a mere moment but the captain could see the searing stream welling in her eyes.

The mermaid's face was stricken with fear and something else that was unidentifiable, but it closely resembled disparity. "Please..." Her lyrical voice was like the sweetest honey basking his ears with its haunting tone, it was almost impossible to look furious when such a voice like that was flooding your ears and when the most heartbreaking look was piercing your soul through ocean stained eyes. It was the first time the mermaid had spoken at her own will when not being asked a question, though the only thing she had said prior to this was her name. What a lovely name that was.

"Do not allow me to go back there..." She finished. She knew not where this was coming from, upon her first arrival on The Jolly Roger she wanted nothing more than to leave and retreat back to her underwater haven. But what kind of life would she be going back to if he did let her go, disappointment from her father and kin for her stupidity and selfishness? To turn into that of her sisters, to be a blood thirsty fiend that cursed the seas? She didn't want that! She never did but it was not her choice to be born into this life.

Though her voice was filled with the most sorrowful voice he had to refuse, he could not just keep a mermaid aboard his ship, endangering both her life and the life of himself and his crew. His men were all horny bastards just looking for something to grope and what would he do when she got hungry? Carve a leg or two from one of his men? No, Killian had a plan and he was sticking to it. He had no needs for the siren otherwise; she was simply a pawn in his grand game of chess.

Killian shook his head making no great deal to pry his hand away from the girl though her grip was awfully strong and he could already begin to feel the kiss of bruising on his flesh. "You would want to stay here, with a band of flesh hungry pirates? Princess, you're better off in the sea." And with that he finally drove himself to drag his wrist out of her grip and turn to leave once again.

"Please!" She begged as he slithered away from her grasp and began to walk away. She couldn't go back, she didn't belong in the sea and she didn't want to be the person she was so expected to be, she wanted to be free to do as she pleased she wanted to be like them... a human. She wanted that more than anything. But Killian continued to walk away from the lass even as she begged and yelled at him, he fought hard not to turn around and gaze at her but he knew if he did that then he would be a goner. "Please! I'll do whatever you want! Please!" She continued to scream at him though not loud enough to do any harm to him, she was certain he heard her though. What else could she do? He wanted nothing of her, all he wanted was to get his hands on that damn trident she had overheard him speaking about—that was it... the trident.

"I'll get you the bloody trident!" She yelled finally at him, in her desperate time she had managed to drag herself away from the corner in an attempt to follow the captain, her injured shoulder stung with pain as she had used both hands to drag her entire weight across the wooden floor. The leather coat had fallen from her slim shoulders and was left a while back as she now dragged herself barely to the pirate, and to her satisfaction Killian turned around, his eyes were lit with a dangerous flame both of suspicion but no doubt curiosity. "You would risk your very fin, deceive your kin and steal from the king of the sea himself?" He questioned, the deck had fallen sickly silent and all that could be heard now was the clacking of the captain's boots as he walked over to stand in front of the siren on the ground. "For what?"

"Freedom." But how much freedom could a little siren like her get? Nowhere was safe as long as she was beneath the waves as her father would sweep the whole ocean floor to find his beloved daughter, how was a simple pirate supposed to grant such an imprisoned creature's soul freedom.

The pirate captain crouched again, this time a much less sympathetic spark kissed his gaze as he outstretched his hooked hand and rested the sharp point under the strong chin of the mermaid. "A pirate will do much but I'll not kill off an entire race for your well-being, love." He seemed to have misunderstood what she meant by _freedom, _the pirate could not see that it was no just her family drowning her, but it was the being that she was along with it.

"I would never ask you to do such a thing!" She exclaimed shocked that that was what he thought she had meant, she loved her family dearly and would never seek to harm them. "Then what is it that you want, little siren?" He asked tone of the verge of dangerous. "I want legs."


End file.
